renter rights question (apartment, appliances, house)

[smash731]

Hi all,

I just moved into an apartment at the beach. This apartment is one of 4 in a "divided" house which was built in the 40's. The electrical system is sketchy...the power in half my apartment has been going on and off, and every time the electrician comes, he declares that nothing is wrong with it. Despite the electricity (including AC) being "off" some of the time, my first bill was nearly $200, not including water. Considering that I open the windows to get the beach breeze and hardly use the AC, and considering that my apartment is no more than 500 square feet, I think something is fishy about the $200 bill. Do renters have rights regarding fair electricity metering? I have a suspicion that our meters are not registering ONLY the electric used in our portions of the house.

Thanks
smash

[riveree]

Is the electric going on and off while appliances are in use?

Regardless of the age of the home, if there wasn't some thought put into the wiring of the home, you can often have more major appliances running on one line than you should.

I once rented a home to someone who liked to run the dishwasher, washer, dryer and microwave all at the same time. These appliances happen to all be on the same line in the house and one day *pop* went the fuse. The electrician explained that microwaves pull a lot of juice, and hers happened to be faulty, so that was probably what it did it. As soon as we tested her microwave, it was shooting sparks. The renter knew it too, but blamed each landlord instead of the common denominator - her microwave .

Most older buildings have had their electric rewired at some point. You can tell by looking at the fuse box (check the amp rating and you also might find a date listed).

Fridges can also run your bill up. Maybe the coils are dusty? Try vacuuming the bottom and back of the fridge. Once you clean it, it will run more efficiently. You can check the setting on the fridge/freezer too (maybe it's set too cold).

JEA will come out and look at the meter for you and check your apartment to see where else you might find savings. I'd also want to see the JEA bill every month, your landlord should be giving you a copy.

The on and off of the electric is a safety concern though, I'd want the landlord to call an electrician out and find the source of the problem.

As for your rights, there should be something spelled out in your lease for how the utilities will be billed. Is it possible the landlord is just dividing the entire buildings usage by 4? If so, was that agreed upon in the lease?

[apanda]

Originally Posted by riveree

JEA will come out and look at the meter for you and check your apartment to see where else you might find savings. I'd also want to see the JEA bill every month, your landlord should be giving you a copy.

The on and off of the electric is a safety concern though, I'd want the landlord to call an electrician out and find the source of the problem.

As for your rights, there should be something spelled out in your lease for how the utilities will be billed. Is it possible the landlord is just dividing the entire buildings usage by 4? If so, was that agreed upon in the lease?

I agree. Also, make sure you are not being billed for something the whole building is using. A friend of mine was renting an older quad in Riverside and found out she was paying for the whole building's outside flood & porch lights.